AMS4900 – International Project Term in Asia and the Middle East
Course description
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
This course allows master's students in Asia and Middle East Studies to complete an internship at a Norwegian embassy or a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) in their third semester. This will give you the opportunity to gain relevant work experience, use your academic skills in a practical manner, and present yourself in an international work environment. You must conduct the internship in the region related to your programme option - namely the Middle East or East Asia.?
Students who meet the requirements for this course can apply for an internship. This includes the two options:?
1. Apply for an internship with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UD):??
- This arrangement is part of an agreement between UiO and UD where students achieve status as "Hospitant", and all interactions with UD will be managed by UiO.?
- This option is only available for students with Norwegian citizenship.?
2. Arrange an internship agreement with an NGO:??
All internship partners involved must accept the Faculty of Humanities' internship agreement.?
During the semester abroad, you will both work at the embassy or organization while also produce a report that will serve as the course examination. You will have between 12 and 18 hours per week to work on this report. You will develop the topic for the report in collaboration with your supervisor and your contact person at the embassy or organization.?
We arrange information meeting each spring semester, to explain the requirements and the application process. This will be announced in Canvas.?
Learning outcome
- Learning to work independently with a minor project report.
- Experience of working in a team in an international work environment.
- Planning, execution and completion of a professional project.
- Increased awareness of competence, in particular the connection between theory and practice.
- Useful foundation for your own Master’s thesis.
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Only MA students admitted to Asia and Middle East Studies can apply. The International Project Term must be completed in the third semester.
You can only be admitted to the course if a relevant institution is found and agrees upon cooperation. It is the institution itself that will have the final word regarding whether your internship proposal is accepted or not accepted. The admission to the UD agreement is limited by the number of internship spots available.
To apply for UiO`s agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UD) you must (for student with an Norwegian citizenship):
- Fill out the application form before the deadline 1st of March.?
- Write a personal application in English, 1 page maximum.
- Attach your CV.
- Attach your transcript of records.
- Attach a letter of recommendation from one of your teachers.
NB! All documents must be saved in one pdf.-file.
If you plan to arrange an internship agreement on your own you must:
- Talk to your supervisor and course instructor about internship in relevant organizations or companies before you fill out the application form with the deadline 1st of March.
- Get your potential internship agreement approved by the Department before you contact them.
- Get your potential internship partner to sign the Faculty of Humanities internship agreement by the deadline 1st of May.
All papers should be in English. The Department will be able to assist you with information about the course to a potential internship partner, as well as the Faculty of Humanities internship agreement.
All students are responsible to arrange visa/work permit for themselves.
Before you leave Norway, you must submit the online form regarding studies abroad.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
You must have passed exams equivalent to 60 credits in the first two terms in order to take the course.
Overlapping courses
- 30 credits overlap with AAS4900 – International Project Term in Asia and Africa (continued).
Teaching
You will receive supervision by phone, on Zoom or on e-mail.
Compulsory activity:
- ?Written assignments. You must submit an outline and drafts to the supervisor via Canvas for guidance and comments throughout the semester.
- Compulsory attendance on a seminar with the course instructor that will prepare you for the internship. The seminar will be arranged in May/June (time and place will be announced by email after the internships have been confirmed).
Approval of the compulsory activities are only valid for the current semester.?
You will receive more information about the requirements for the compulsory assignment(s) at the compulsory seminar.?
All compulsory activities must be approved to qualify for the exam. It is your responsibility to verify that you have obtained approval for all compulsory activities.?
Absence from compulsory activities:?
It is important that you familiarize yourself with the rules regarding absence from compulsory activities, to prevent being excluded from teaching and losing your eligibility to take the exam.?
More information on compulsory activities at the University of Oslo:?
Access to teaching?
A student who has completed compulsory instruction and coursework and has had these approved, is not entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework. A student who has been admitted to a course, but who has not completed compulsory instruction and coursework or had these approved, is entitled to repeat that instruction and coursework, depending on available capacity.?
Examination
The exam is a report.
UiO, the individual student, and the external contractor must decide in mutual consultation what the topic of the report should be. UiO has the academic responsibility for assuring the quality of the topic proposal and for the content of the report, plus the continuous academic follow-up.?
The assignment should consist of approximately 20 pages. One standard page is approximately 2300 characters without spaces, including references. The front page and bibliography are not included in the page count.?
You must submit the exam in Inspera - see guides for digital exams.?
You are personally responsible for familiarizing yourself with the requirements and deadlines for the exam.?
All compulsory activities must be completed and approved in order to take the exam.?
You can find more information about the exam on the semester page of the course.?
Language of examination
The report is written in Norwegian or English, depending on where you are stationed.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Resit an examination
You can only take the exam once. If the report does not get a passing grade, you can hand in a rewritten version once, within a new deadline. A report with a passing grade cannot be handed in again.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.